Dec. 22, 2000—Enviro-Comp Laboratories, Inc., and the company president and owner, Shawn Decareaux-Kilgarlin, both of Baton Rouge, La., were sentenced on Dec. 7, in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge for making material false statements in a matter involving the EPA.
In addition, Decareaux-Kilgarlin previously pleaded guilty to witness tampering. Decareaux-Kilgarlin was sentenced to spend one year in prison and pay a $3,000 fine. Enviro-Comp will pay a $7,000 fine and serve five years of probation. Enviro-Comp, an independent laboratory, performed tests and provided analytical results on water, food and drug samples.
In 1999, Enviro-Comp sought accreditation by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) to perform water tests for clients who were required to meet state environmental regulations under an EPA delegated program. In August 1999, while preparing for an LDEQ pre- accreditation audit, Decareaux-Kilgarlin knowingly made false statements in Enviro-Comp's log books and certification analyses relative to water testing for the purpose of misleading the LDEQ auditor.
In addition, she directed Enviro-Comp's employees to falsify the company's log books and certification analyses. In December 1999 and January 2000, she paid a former employee to provide false information to an EPA Special Agent and further promised the employee additional funds for providing false testimony at any subsequent trial.
The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, LDEQ, the Louisiana Department of Justice and the Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana.
